- The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less, than the half shekel, when you give the Lord’s offering to make atonement for your lives. Exodus 30:15 – The Lord instructed Moses to take a census of the people, and at that time the people were to pay a census tax. The tax would be an acknowledgment from the people that the Lord had atoned for their lives and that they belonged to Him alone. Notice though the amount that was to be given within this tax, a half shekel. That was the amount across the board for the nation of Israel. The most wealthy of the nation was to pay a half shekel and the most poor was to pay a half shekel. For this wasn’t a place of giving freewill offerings to the Lord, this was payment to symbolize they understood the atoning power of the Lord within their life. As we think about the atoning power of the Lord in our life, the payment also is equal across the board. The most wealthy is saved with the payment that saves the most poor. The most wicked person on earth is saved with the same payment that saves the most gentle. Man, woman, young, and old all have the same payment being given to atone for their sin. The life of Jesus Christ. The payment of His life covers every person from every category of humanity that places their trust in Him. How amazing is it that not only is the sacrifice to be given for our sins equal for all people but is even paid for us by the Lord. Know then however far you feel you’ve gotten from the Lord, the price for your forgiveness has been covered through Jesus. Come to Him and find the life He’s purchased for you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3174
- Exodus 30 Daily DEVO When they go into the tent of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn a food offering to the Lord, they shall wash with water, so that they may not die. Exodus30:20 – This sure seems like a lot of washing for them, why would God have them wash like this every time? Because He wanted them to remember always the purity of what they were doing. He wanted them to have a disgust for sin and how it ruins everything. While I’m glad we don’t have to follow this ritual cleansing anymore, I do wish as a church we’d take more time to remember the holiness and purity of what we’re doing in worship. This goes way deeper than the bringing your coffee into the sanctuary argument, this is about what type of heart are you bringing into worship? Is it one of gratitude or do you treat it as commonplace? Are you bringing your sin into worship with no plans to lay it at the altar? We must remember we serve a holy and pure God, one that angelic beings are so amazed with they worship Him eternally. This weekend at church, don’t let worship be commonplace. Remember the purity of and privilege we have to worship like this. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 824
- And the incense that you shall make according to its composition, you shall not make for yourselves. It shall be for you holy to the Lord. Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume shall be cut off from his people. Exodus 30:37-38 – In our passage God is giving clear directions of which spices were to be used in the creation of the incense that was to be used in the temple. After giving the directions God tells them to not make this blend for themselves to be used outside of the setting of the holy place. This blend was to be used solely for the purposes of God and not used for any other purpose. Do we have something like that today in our faith life? Something God has designed and said this was to be used only for His purposes and nothing else? Yes….you. You have been designed and created by God for His holy purposes and those purposes alone. You were not created to be used for any worldly purpose but solely for the holy pursuit of God and the purposes of God. How though have you allowed yourself to be used for other purposes? Seek to remind yourself today you have been designed by a perfect Creator for a singular purpose, to point people to God. Any other purpose you could give your life to isn’t your purpose. Give your all to what you were created for. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1913
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